Vanished
by ElfGirl4
Summary: Ella has been kidnapped and Char will stop at nothing to find her. He goes on a quest to find her, and runs into new people, (old and new charcters) and a something that he's not quite ready to face. R/R please! I'll love you forever!!!
1. Char Awakes

I don't own any of the characters in this story; they belong to Gail Carson Levine. 

***

Char woke up from a particularly nice dream; he looked to his side and discovered that that side of the bed was empty. He patted it, frantically looking around the room as well. He tried in the closet, in the window niche, everywhere, even under the bed (Ella was always up to new heights, trying to make him laugh by doing odd things-like hiding under the bed). Ella was nowhere to be found.  

Char decided to go down to the kitchen to see if Ella was there. No. He went to the stables. All the horses were in their stalls, and no Ella. He went to the study, the library, the fields. No Ella. Finally, he stopped by Mandy's cabin, which was near the palace. 

"Mandy," he panted out, "Have you seen Ella anywhere?"

"No, Sir, I haven't seen her since the banquet last night," Mandy replied groggily. She had been up before dawn making some cinnamon rolls, and they were just starting to smell good. Char took a deep intake of the cinnamon air-it felt so good.

This worried him. The banquet last night was held in honor of some Ayorthaian delegates that had come to Frell. 

Char began to flashback to the banquet. 

*He and Ella were announced as heirs to the throne of Frell, and they sat near the head of the table, near the King and Queen of Frell, Char's parents. Then the Ayorthaian delegates were announced and they came to sit at the expansive table, opposite of Ella and him. The first course was a Frellan meal, partridge, soaked in a red wine with herbs. The second was an Ayorthaian meal, a pasta-like dish, with berries, and basil. And on the meal went. Char remembered that it was painfully quiet and Ella and he were doing things to pass the time, not paying much attention to anything else. Ella was making the napkins into the shapes of each of the delegates' faces. Char could barely suppress his laughter. 

"Your mother used to do that," he mentioned to her quietly. "The last time she did that, I had to leave the hall, I was laughing so hard, except I got punished severely for being so insolent, but…" Char trailed off.

Ella had a subdued look on her face from the mention of her mother. She was still sensitive whenever someone mentioned her. "I know she did," she replied, almost so quietly that Char couldn't hear.

"I didn't mean to mention her, I just..."

Ella wasn't paying attention to him, she had made the profile of the Ayorthaian right in front of them. It was particularly funny since he had a very prominent chin, and forehead. 

Char glanced down at it, then at the delegate across the table, then back at the napkin. His chest started to heave up and down, and his breathing came in short spurts. He couldn't suppress his laughter any longer; he put his hand up to his mouth and pretended to cough, except it didn't sound like a cough. It was a full-fledged laugh. He realized this immediately and disguised it as a cough. 

The King gave him a sharp look, that suggested daggers, and Char straightened up at once and his face grew serious. 

Ella, felt bad and whispered into his ear, "Sorry," and then she kissed his lightly behind his ear.

That sent lovely shivers down his spine. 

A servant came to Ella with a cup to replace the one that she had while she was kissing Char. And now Ella was about to toast the delegates. She stood up and said, "To the Ayorthaians and Frellans friendship forever through everything." And everyone raised their glasses and took a sip. She took one too, not noticing the little specks of white powder lining the inside of the glass. 

Later on, during the dessert, Ella had to leave because she was feeling faint. She looked pale too, and it was terribly noticeable. *

And then Char's brain clicked. He left Mandy's cabin in a flash and at lightning fast speed, he ran into the kitchen where the scullery maids were still doing last night's dishes. "The cups," he thought frantically, "The cups, the cups, the cups! Where are they?????" In a moment he found them, and he found the one that Ella had had replaced. The wine was still in it and he saw the white powder lining the inside of the glass. He took his finger and swiped it across the inside, taking up some of the powder. He lifted his finger to his nose and sniffed a little: no smell. He took his finger to his lips and tasted a little off of his finger-ever so slightly. 

"SHIT!" he shouted. It was poison. Ella had been poisoned the night before, and…and…now she wasn't here, and… and…she _had to_ have been kidnapped!

*** 

Hey! I want you all to review this and tell me what you think, cuz if you don't then I don't think I'll write it anymore. But there's gonna be so much more action in the next chapters-PROMISE!!


	2. Ella Awakes

I don't own any of the characters in this story; they belong to Gail Carson Levine. 

***

            Ella awoke groggily to the sound of wheels and the bouncing of a carriage. Her eyes opened very slowly and she was plunged into a sea of black nothingness, as if her eyes were still shut. "Good god, have I gone blind?" she thought, a huge worry building up inside of her. She closed her eyes again, trying to accept the inevitable that she may be blind. Then she felt a feeling of coarseness sweep across her eyelids; she hadn't gone blind-it was only a blindfold. She scolded herself for being so ready to believe things like that.

            Her head was swimming with dizziness and it hurt to think, but she was so unsure of where she was, or what was happening, or well, just about anything. 

            Ella figured that Char was playing some stupid joke on her. He always did, he tried to make her laugh-just as she made him laugh, but just wasn't as good at it. At least when he tried to-when it was spur of the moment things, then she would laugh for long periods of time; otherwise, she would giggle just out of mock pity at his sense of humor. 

But this, this was strange-he usually didn't do things like this, and why was her head spinning with dizziness? Finally she decided to speak up and ask him what he was doing. 

"Char? Are you there? What is this? I admit it was somewhat funny at first," she started-it wasn't funny though-but she continued, "But now it's a little old. Plus, this blindfold is really itchy-could you take it off now please? And where are we going? You know that your parents will be miffed if we aren't in the castle to be with the delegates-no matter how boring they are…"

There was no answer. Except for the clicking of hooves and the carriage on the road, silence came from all around her. This was starting to worry her-what was Char doing that would make him not answer her? She knew that he knew his parents would explode if they weren't there to be with the delegates, and yet he was ignoring her! The insolence of him! She hadn't known him to disobey his parents like _this. _Well, they _had_ done things in the past, but _this_, _this_ was the future of their country and their foreign relations. He would just go out for a pleasure ride through the country. And if it was just a pleasure ride, then why was she blindfolded, and why wouldn't he answer her? Today wasn't a special occasion either, which made her wonder where he was taking her, and why would he do one of his little "I love you" getaways in an important time like this-which brought her back to the fact that the delegates were here in Frell.

Ella thought about this for quite some time and was always brought back to the fact that the delegates were there in Frell…

            Finally the carriage stopped moving and the horses stopped clicking their hooves on the road. The carriage door opened and a man (or what sounded like a man by his heavy breathing) stepped in. He took Ella and lifted her up. 

            Ella could tell that it wasn't Char-Char had picked her up thousands of times, and although this man was gentle, he _wasn't_ Char. This worried her and she wouldn't stand to be picked up by some strange man when she was in a blindfold.

            "Put me down this instant! Who are you and where are you taking me? You! Listen to me!" He wasn't listening. Finally she tried to wriggle out of his arms and she realized that she was tied at the wrists! She struggled more and he only suppressed her more. Now she was screaming into his ears. 

            "PUT. ME. DOWN. OR. YOU.WILL. PAY." 

            He was trying to shy away from her raging mouth, while at the same time holding her very tightly as she wriggled around.

            From a tower in the castle that he was walking towards, two shadow loomed, both laughing evilly.

***

Ok- I really wanted to thank all the reviewers out there who reviewed and liked –or in some cases, loved- it!!! I LOVED ALL THE REVIEWS, and I hope that I get some more (I'm like a review addict now…lol)

I hope that all of you liked this chapter-not much action, but I'll try to put some into the next chapter.

A little taste of the next chapter…Char sets out to find Ella!!!

Cheers and lots of love to you all!!!

Elf Girl!!!

PS: I was wondering what you avid fans think I should do to the story. Should I make it R material in later chapters, or should I keep it PG-13? If I do do it R, how "R-ish" do you think I should make it? If anyone has any suggestions to make towards the rating or the plot/ story, PLEASE write them into your reviews, or email me. Thanks a bunch! J xox


	3. Of Pillows and Trying to Talk to Fathers

I don't own any of these characters… They belong to Gail Carson Levine… Only the story is mine!

Char stood still for a moment; contemplating what he had just figured out. He was deep in thought when one of the scullery maids came up to him.

            "S-S-Sir? Are you all right, sir? Would you like me to bring you anything? You look awfully faint," she stammered in a thick Ayorthian accent. She must have come over into Kyrria to look for work since Ayorthia had gone through political and economical crises.

            He looked at her like she had sprouted horns. Did she not _know?_ Of course she didn't, he himself didn't _know _until just a moment ago. He bit his lip and looked at her again. She looked up earnestly at him, she was shaking-he figured it was because she had never been so close to a royal. "Oh, no thank you miss, I was just on my way," he told her, his own voice shaking too. A thought struck him, "I'm going to take this cup," he declared.

            "S-S-Sir, if you would just a-a-allow me to wash it for you…" she offered, her voice still shaking.

            "No," he replied firmly. Then he saw her face, as she looked a bit frightened of his rigidity; he didn't mean to scare her, so he replied for a second time with a softer answer. "Actually miss, I wasn't intending to drink from it, but thank you for asking. I'm sorry if I frightened you, I think I've just found out something well…I must be on my way now. Good day miss," he gave her a weak and plastered on smile as he hurried through the scullery door with the cup in his hand, careful not to spill any liquid, or dissolve anymore poison in it.

            The scullery maid looked at him as he rushed out with starry eyes until her senior yelled at her, " Get back to work! Have you no sense! Good lord, do you Ayorthians not work at all?" The scullery maid gave her senior an evil look once she turned her back as she got back to work.

            Char bounded up to his father's chambers with the cup in his hand. When he got there, there were two guards guarding the door. "He must be in a meeting with the Ayorthians…" he thought to himself. Char sighed; he knew that he'd have to wait. His father wouldn't stop a meeting with the Ayorthians just to talk to him about a hunch he had about Ella's whereabouts. She was always free to come and go as she pleased… and now might not be an exception after all… The guards were looking at him as if they were waiting for him to talk. He looked back at them and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped before any words came out. Char didn't want these guards to know anything before he consulted his father. And by the looks of things, that was going to be in a long time.

            Char turned around and walked briskly towards Mandy's cottage. If his father wasn't going to be available now, Mandy would have to be.

            Ella awoke once again to find herself amongst many, many pillows. Though her arms were no longer bound, she still felt sore and tender around her wrists. But other than that, and feeling extremely fatigued, most likely a side effect of more poison, she felt fine.

            She tried to get up, but only succeeded in squirming around the masses of pillows. It was as if she were in a sea of pillows, but as Ella looked around her, she that that wasn't entirely untrue. Pillows covered the area of the room's floor, Ella in the center. The walls were a yellow tint with the slightest bit of a border running along the sides. And then… there was a door… a rather large, wooden door with a wrought iron handle and hinges. It was the only piece that looked out of place in the room, and yet it was the only feature of the room that really reminded her that it was a room at all. Otherwise, she would have been mistaken that she was still dreaming…

            It was so incredibly odd… Why was she in a place with hundreds of pillows? There didn't seem like there was a logical explanation until she finally remembered the events that had taken place over the last few days.

            In fact, it had almost been a week, but he memories of that times flashed before Ella's eyes nonetheless vividly. She remembered feeling sick at the banquet… and being brought in a carriage… and struggling to free herself… and that was about all she remembered, but Ella was a smart girl. She soon put two and two together to realize she had been kidnapped.

            Ella found herself flailing around in the pillows, trying to reach the door, the one way into the outside world, for there were no windows in the room. With great difficulty and effort, Ella finally got to the door. She reached up to try and test the handle, but it was too high! The door's threshold only began at where the pillows came up to it, which was more than two feet off the floor.

            Despite that obstacle, Ella was determined to get out, or at least _try_ the door handle. So she began stacking pillows below the door. One after another, she put pillows with tassels on pillows with buttons, or pillows with pockets on top of pillows with embroidery. Then, when she thought she was high enough, she tried to climb on, except she found out that there were one too many silk pillows in the stack and she slipped and fell onto the squishy carpet of fluffy pillows. Still determined, Ella tried a couple more times, stacking what she thought were sturdy pillows, but each time ended in her on her back, floating on the sea of pillows.

            Her failed attempts made Ella extremely frustrated and in the end, she resorted to banging on the door with her fists, screaming for help.

            Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, "What? Not comfortable enough? Royalty is never pleased, is it? Or maybe it's just _you._" It was sardonic and mocking and put a slight chill in Ella as she turned around to see who it was.

A/N: Wow, thank you to all of you who've stuck by me while I've been writing this!!! I'm incredibly grateful, because I've been having the utmost difficulty at finding where this story should go….. But last night, angst came to me in the form of not being able to get a magazine…. (darn you mom!!!) and it inspired a new chapter to flow from my fingertips…. So, here you've got another chapter, I hope you liked it, and PLEASE, PLEASE review…. They mean so much to me…. (addiction!!!! -) And if you've any suggestions, just tell me them in the form of a review and I'll be sure to read it and try to put it in my story! Savvy? And by the way, I've got some other stories that are good, so if you feel like taking a gander at them, please DO!!! And review them too! I'd love to see what you guys think of my other stories too… -

Cheers!

Tati Bloom aka Elf Girl 4

PS: I love Orlando Bloom!

A Very Wonderful and Marvelous and Fantastic Thanks To…. Wait a bloody second…. I've just been looking at my story and I've seen that I haven't been replying to any of the reviewers like I usually do now…. Hm… that's odd…. Well, I promise to reply to all of you from now on…. I guess I didn't start replying until after I started this story….. Oh well, rest assured, I will reply to all your wonderful reviews now! So…. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE REVIEWED OVER THE LAST 3 CHAPTERS!!!! YOU'VE MADE IT WORTH MY WHILE TO CONTINUE WRITING THIS!!!!  -

AND BELIEVE ME…. A NEW CHAPTER WILL BE COMING A _LOT_ SOONER!!!  -


	4. Who is on the Pillows

I own nothing but the plot…. Well… I own some stuff…. But the characters (most of them anyways) belong to Gail Carson Levine…. Otherwise… well, Char would be right here with me now…. Lol -

Ella stared, wide-eyed at the stranger as she turned around.

            A woman no older than Ella stood atop the pillows behind her, almost as if she were floating… The woman had a haughty look on her face, her eyes ice blue and filled with distaste. She had a slender body, her frame slim and willowy. She was of middle height and her head was connected to a long, delicate neck that looked as if it were porcelain. Her tiny nose was slightly pointed and beneath that was a pair of lips, sparkling like twin rubies. Though her most enthralling feature was her hair. Golden with a slight wave to it, her hair cascaded to her corseting waist, catching every ray of light within her tresses and sending back a reflection that made her look as if she had a glowing halo about her. Her dress was simple; blue to match her eyes, lace up in the back with a satin ribbon. The blue fabric trailed down to her fact and over the pillows. "Are you done gaping now?" she asked, an annoyed tone in her voice.

            Ella looked up into the woman's harsh eyes, hardening her own. "How dare you speak to me like that! And how _dare_ you keep me locked up in here!" she said loudly.

            The woman frowned, "Hush up. I'm not deaf – you needn't scream. Now – what on earth were you making that racket on the door for? Honestly. We're not at your every beck and call like at your palace," derisiveness was creeping back into her voice as she arched an eyebrow.

            Fury was building inside Ella, but she kept it under control and pointedly replied in softer voice, "I want you to release me. Now. As part of the royal family, I have certain powers that must be obeyed and… I believe you have to obey them too." She worried as she felt a shakiness develop in her voice, though she tried to hide it as well and stood there, amidst the pillows, her arms akimbo, looking fiercely up at the woman.

            "Temper… Temper…" the woman said to herself, shaking her head a little and laughing. "You know what? I don't believe I fall under your powers, for you no longer are dwelling in your kingdom," The last two words were said in such a mocking voice that Ella couldn't stop herself from glaring at her. "But… I _do_ believe that you'll hall under _my_ power." The woman let out another laugh as she looked down at Ella before closing her eyes and taking a sharp intake of air, a smile on her face the entire time.

            The moment she opened her eyes, they were in a jungle. Though still encased in the room, the two had gone from the sea of pillow to a sticky and rather dark room full of trees and animals.

            Ella's breathing quickened, as she looked at her surroundings frantically and saw no sign of the woman. From above, whistle came and Ella's head jerked up to find the golden haired woman sitting comfortably on a tree limb. Ella squinted her eyes as she saw the woman grow farther and farther away. She didn't know what was happening until she looked down and saw herself rapidly being consumed into a pool of quicksand. Her soft blue eyes flicked around, desperately trying to find a vine, a rope, a branch…. _Something_ to grab onto. Nothing.

            Instead the only6 thing she found was malicious laughter from above her, the sound sprinkling down like rain all around her. Ella looked up again at the woman, panic very evident in her eyes as she realized she was waist-deep in the stickiness and going further. She knew flailing about like she had done with the pillows would only make matters worse, so she tried to flip onto her back to do the dead-man's float and slow down the sinking process. She only managed to quicken it and was now in past her chest and neck. Breathing was becoming difficult as she felt the sand closing in on her, not letting her expand her lungs at all. "Please! Get me out of here! Help me!" She pleaded to the woman in the tree, who just sat there, looking very amused. "Please…" Ella tilted her head back and felt her ears get covered. "Please…"

            The woman rolled her eyes and muttered, "Oh all right…" under her breath and closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath.

            Upon opening her eyes, both of them were brought into a stark with room with a scary looking wooden chair in the center. Ella found herself strapped into the chair, unable to move, though clean of any quicksand as if it had never happened. She was caught in a confused daze and quietly asked, "What _is_ this?"

            A chuckle came from behind her and she tried to turn but found she couldn't. "What is this? What is this?" said a mock child's voice behind her. "My… you've got a lot of requests. How he _ever_ chose_ you _is beyond me…"

            "Who? What're you talking about?"

            "And slow on the uptake as well…."

            Ella's head came up slowly, as if in realization, "Char…" she said quietly.

            "Mmhmm…." The woman cooed from behind her.

            "Leave him out of this," strength was returning to her voice.

            "I'm afraid that's just not possible," the woman said, coming around the wooden chair to face Ella and kneel to her level; to condescend upon her. "See… that's the reason you're here. You have what I want. And _that _for the time being is Char – as you _so fondly_ call him," her voice was condescending as well now.

            "He won't come to you."

            A look of assuredness came over the woman's face. "He will. I know he will…. And so do you. I his precious little Ella is on the line, he'll come."

            That sinking feeling from the quicksand came back, only now it was in the pit of her stomach – he _would_ come… He would battle anything that came between them and he would stop at nothing to be assured of her safety. "Who… Who are you?" she asked, her voice growing shaky again.

            "Why should I tell you?" the woman said, getting up and turning her back on Ella, walking towards the door with the grace of a dancer.

            Ella frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing intently on the woman. That back… that body… that stature… that _hair_…

            Suddenly Ella knew where she had seen her…

A/N: Hey!! Yeah… a big cliffie!! Oh well…. I made it so that you… yes, _you_, the readers (or fans or whatever you want to call yourselves… ;) maybe like… _freaders_…. As in fan-readers…. Ok… sorry…. - I've had WAY too much Dr. Pepper this morning….) can figure out who this rather scary woman is. You just have to be creative and look in the book…. -  But yeah. So a couple thoughts from me actually…. One is that I didn't know the color of Ella's eyes, so I went by the cover of the book (even though it is wrong by the way…. Her hair is supposed to be black, _not_ brown… ) and made them blue. Yes, lazy me… didn't want to have to read the entire book last night and then write the chapter… Because well…. I wanted to listen to the radio too and finish my drawing…. Lol…..  But yeah… and this woman… is really about the same age as Ella, and I'm sorry for calling her "the woman" or "the golden haired woman" but I didn't want to give her a name yet…. To add to the mystery of her identity…. All right… so I hope you guys have had a happy summer so far… Mine's not been all that well… but meh… I guess I'll just have to deal with it…. -

Cheers!

Tati Bloom aka Elf Girl 4

PS: I realized that chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5 are like…. The SAME. I'm sorry…. I'll be deleting chapter 4 soon unless you guys think I should do otherwise…. Since the same thing happens in the next chapter. -

PPS: Any suggestions? Email me… check my bio!

PPS: Like what you read here? Want more? Go and check out my other stories and review for those too!!! -

AN AWESOME AND APPRECIATED THANKS TO: (Yes…. I'm going to do it from now on…. So if you don't like it… I'm sorry….. too bad. And I'm doing this in the order that I receive them… so don't feel bad if you're last or first… it's just how I do it… -)

Chriss- Thank you! And yeah, I hate cliffhangers too…. But somehow the way I write makes them come out in every chapter… lol… I hope you keep reading!

Chaucer- I like the name…. Reminds me of Paul Bettany from "A Knight's Tale"… (He played Chaucer in the movie… -) Thanks! I'm glad you liked it… hope you liked this chapter too!

jelie36- Thank you very much…. And yes, if you go and skim the book, you've seen her a couple of times…. But yeah…. Keep reading…. And review again to tell me who ya think it is! -

stargirl- Kay! Well, here's the next chapter… hope you liked it, keep reading!

Legolas-Aragorn-r-hot- Mmm…. Love, love, love the name…. I totally agree… I'm writing a LOTR ficlet too, so I hope you go and check that out sometime when I get it posted! Thank you!!! I'm so happy you like it, and I really hope you liked this chapter too!

Pirate-Jazzy- Here ya go…. More. -  I'll be bringing some more later…. So keep reading…. Lol

Tempest Dragon- OH NO! Yet ANOTHER cliffhanger! Gahh…. It's turning into a very bad habit in my writing… lol…. Thanks much, I'll try and update as soon as I can!

Mage Light- Thank you very much! I'm glad that you think so!!! I really hope that you liked this chapter, keep reading and reviewing… Tell me how I'm doing!!


	5. Repeat of Chapter 3 Will be fixed soon

I don't own any of these characters… They belong to Gail Carson Levine… Only the story is mine!

Char stood still for a moment; contemplating what he had just figured out. He was deep in thought when one of the scullery maids came up to him.

            "S-S-Sir? Are you all right, sir? Would you like me to bring you anything? You look awfully faint," she stammered in a thick Ayorthian accent. She must have come over into Kyrria to look for work since Ayorthia had gone through political and economical crises.

            He looked at her like she had sprouted horns. Did she not _know?_ Of course she didn't, he himself didn't _know _until just a moment ago. He bit his lip and looked at her again. She looked up earnestly at him, she was shaking-he figured it was because she had never been so close to a royal. "Oh, no thank you miss, I was just on my way," he told her, his own voice shaking too. A thought struck him, "I'm going to take this cup," he declared.

            "S-S-Sir, if you would just a-a-allow me to wash it for you…" she offered, her voice still shaking.

            "No," he replied firmly. Then he saw her face, as she looked a bit frightened of his rigidity; he didn't mean to scare her, so he replied for a second time with a softer answer. "Actually miss, I wasn't intending to drink from it, but thank you for asking. I'm sorry if I frightened you, I think I've just found out something well…I must be on my way now. Good day miss," he gave her a weak and plastered on smile as he hurried through the scullery door with the cup in his hand, careful not to spill any liquid, or dissolve anymore poison in it. 

            The scullery maid looked at him as he rushed out with starry eyes until her senior yelled at her, " Get back to work! Have you no sense! Good lord, do you Ayorthians not work at all?" The scullery maid gave her senior an evil look once she turned her back as she got back to work.

Char bounded up to his father's chambers with the cup in his hand. When he got there, there were two guards guarding the door. "He must be in a meeting with the Ayorthians…" he thought to himself. Char sighed; he knew that he'd have to wait. His father wouldn't stop a meeting with the Ayorthians just to talk to him about a hunch he had about Ella's whereabouts. She was always free to come and go as she pleased… and now might not be an exception after all… The guards were looking at him as if they were waiting for him to talk. He looked back at them and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped before any words came out. Char didn't want these guards to know anything before he consulted his father. And by the looks of things, that was going to be in a long time.

            Char turned around and walked briskly towards Mandy's cottage. If his father wasn't going to be available now, Mandy would have to be.

            Ella awoke once again to find herself amongst many, many pillows. Though her arms were no longer bound, she still felt sore and tender around her wrists. But other than that, and feeling extremely fatigued, most likely a side effect of more poison, she felt fine.

            She tried to get up, but only succeeded in squirming around the masses of pillows. It was as if she were in a sea of pillows, but as Ella looked around her, she that that wasn't entirely untrue. Pillows covered the area of the room's floor, Ella in the center. The walls were a yellow tint with the slightest bit of a border running along the sides. And then… there was a door… a rather large, wooden door with a wrought iron handle and hinges. It was the only piece that looked out of place in the room, and yet it was the only feature of the room that really reminded her that it was a room at all. Otherwise, she would have been mistaken that she was still dreaming…

            It was so incredibly odd… Why was she in a place with hundreds of pillows? There didn't seem like there was a logical explanation until she finally remembered the events that had taken place over the last few days.

            In fact, it had almost been a week, but he memories of that times flashed before Ella's eyes nonetheless vividly. She remembered feeling sick at the banquet… and being brought in a carriage… and struggling to free herself… and that was about all she remembered, but Ella was a smart girl. She soon put two and two together to realize she had been kidnapped.

            Ella found herself flailing around in the pillows, trying to reach the door, the one way into the outside world, for there were no windows in the room. With great difficulty and effort, Ella finally got to the door. She reached up to try and test the handle, but it was too high! The door's threshold only began at where the pillows came up to it, which was more than two feet off the floor.

            Despite that obstacle, Ella was determined to get out, or at least _try_ the door handle. So she began stacking pillows below the door. One after another, she put pillows with tassels on pillows with buttons, or pillows with pockets on top of pillows with embroidery. Then, when she thought she was high enough, she tried to climb on, except she found out that there were one too many silk pillows in the stack and she slipped and fell onto the squishy carpet of fluffy pillows. Still determined, Ella tried a couple more times, stacking what she thought were sturdy pillows, but each time ended in her on her back, floating on the sea of pillows. 

            Her failed attempts made Ella extremely frustrated and in the end, she resorted to banging on the door with her fists, screaming for help.

            Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, "What? Not comfortable enough? Royalty is never pleased, is it? Or maybe it's just _you._" It was sardonic and mocking and put a slight chill in Ella as she turned around to see who it was.

A/N: Wow, thank you to all of you who've stuck by me while I've been writing this!!! I'm incredibly grateful, because I've been having the utmost difficulty at finding where this story should go….. But last night, angst came to me in the form of not being able to get a magazine…. (darn you mom!!!) and it inspired a new chapter to flow from my fingertips…. So, here you've got another chapter, I hope you liked it, and PLEASE, PLEASE review…. They mean so much to me…. (addiction!!!! *-*) And if you've any suggestions, just tell me them in the form of a review and I'll be sure to read it and try to put it in my story! Savvy? And by the way, I've got some other stories that are good, so if you feel like taking a gander at them, please DO!!! And review them too! I'd love to see what you guys think of my other stories too… *-*

Cheers!

Tati Bloom aka Elf Girl 4

PS: I love Orlando Bloom!

A Very Wonderful and Marvelous and Fantastic Thanks To…. Wait a bloody second…. I've just been looking at my story and I've seen that I haven't been replying to any of the reviewers like I usually do now…. Hm… that's odd…. Well, I promise to reply to all of you from now on…. I guess I didn't start replying until after I started this story….. Oh well, rest assured, I will reply to all your wonderful reviews now! So…. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE REVIEWED OVER THE LAST 3 CHAPTERS!!!! YOU'VE MADE IT WORTH MY WHILE TO CONTINUE WRITING THIS!!!!  *-*

AND BELIEVE ME…. A NEW CHAPTER WILL BE COMING A _LOT_ SOONER!!!  *-*


	6. Repeat of Chap 4 Will be fixed soon

I own nothing but the plot…. Well… I own some stuff…. But the characters (most of them anyways) belong to Gail Carson Levine…. Otherwise… well, Char would be right here with me now…. Lol -

Ella stared, wide-eyed at the stranger as she turned around.

            A woman no older than Ella stood atop the pillows behind her, almost as if she were floating… The woman had a haughty look on her face, her eyes ice blue and filled with distaste. She had a slender body, her frame slim and willowy. She was of middle height and her head was connected to a long, delicate neck that looked as if it were porcelain. Her tiny nose was slightly pointed and beneath that was a pair of lips, sparkling like twin rubies. Though her most enthralling feature was her hair. Golden with a slight wave to it, her hair cascaded to her corseting waist, catching every ray of light within her tresses and sending back a reflection that made her look as if she had a glowing halo about her. Her dress was simple; blue to match her eyes, lace up in the back with a satin ribbon. The blue fabric trailed down to her fact and over the pillows. "Are you done gaping now?" she asked, an annoyed tone in her voice.

            Ella looked up into the woman's harsh eyes, hardening her own. "How dare you speak to me like that! And how _dare_ you keep me locked up in here!" she said loudly.

            The woman frowned, "Hush up. I'm not deaf – you needn't scream. Now – what on earth were you making that racket on the door for? Honestly. We're not at your every beck and call like at your palace," derisiveness was creeping back into her voice as she arched an eyebrow.

            Fury was building inside Ella, but she kept it under control and pointedly replied in softer voice, "I want you to release me. Now. As part of the royal family, I have certain powers that must be obeyed and… I believe you have to obey them too." She worried as she felt a shakiness develop in her voice, though she tried to hide it as well and stood there, amidst the pillows, her arms akimbo, looking fiercely up at the woman.

            "Temper… Temper…" the woman said to herself, shaking her head a little and laughing. "You know what? I don't believe I fall under your powers, for you no longer are dwelling in your kingdom," The last two words were said in such a mocking voice that Ella couldn't stop herself from glaring at her. "But… I _do_ believe that you'll hall under _my_ power." The woman let out another laugh as she looked down at Ella before closing her eyes and taking a sharp intake of air, a smile on her face the entire time.

            The moment she opened her eyes, they were in a jungle. Though still encased in the room, the two had gone from the sea of pillow to a sticky and rather dark room full of trees and animals.

            Ella's breathing quickened, as she looked at her surroundings frantically and saw no sign of the woman. From above, whistle came and Ella's head jerked up to find the golden haired woman sitting comfortably on a tree limb. Ella squinted her eyes as she saw the woman grow farther and farther away. She didn't know what was happening until she looked down and saw herself rapidly being consumed into a pool of quicksand. Her soft blue eyes flicked around, desperately trying to find a vine, a rope, a branch…. _Something_ to grab onto. Nothing.

            Instead the only6 thing she found was malicious laughter from above her, the sound sprinkling down like rain all around her. Ella looked up again at the woman, panic very evident in her eyes as she realized she was waist-deep in the stickiness and going further. She knew flailing about like she had done with the pillows would only make matters worse, so she tried to flip onto her back to do the dead-man's float and slow down the sinking process. She only managed to quicken it and was now in past her chest and neck. Breathing was becoming difficult as she felt the sand closing in on her, not letting her expand her lungs at all. "Please! Get me out of here! Help me!" She pleaded to the woman in the tree, who just sat there, looking very amused. "Please…" Ella tilted her head back and felt her ears get covered. "Please…"

            The woman rolled her eyes and muttered, "Oh all right…" under her breath and closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath.

            Upon opening her eyes, both of them were brought into a stark with room with a scary looking wooden chair in the center. Ella found herself strapped into the chair, unable to move, though clean of any quicksand as if it had never happened. She was caught in a confused daze and quietly asked, "What _is_ this?"

            A chuckle came from behind her and she tried to turn but found she couldn't. "What is this? What is this?" said a mock child's voice behind her. "My… you've got a lot of requests. How he _ever_ chose_ you _is beyond me…"

            "Who? What're you talking about?"

            "And slow on the uptake as well…."

            Ella's head came up slowly, as if in realization, "Char…" she said quietly.

            "Mmhmm…." The woman cooed from behind her.

            "Leave him out of this," strength was returning to her voice.

            "I'm afraid that's just not possible," the woman said, coming around the wooden chair to face Ella and kneel to her level; to condescend upon her. "See… that's the reason you're here. You have what I want. And _that _for the time being is Char – as you _so fondly_ call him," her voice was condescending as well now.

            "He won't come to you."

            A look of assuredness came over the woman's face. "He will. I know he will…. And so do you. I his precious little Ella is on the line, he'll come."

            That sinking feeling from the quicksand came back, only now it was in the pit of her stomach – he _would_ come… He would battle anything that came between them and he would stop at nothing to be assured of her safety. "Who… Who are you?" she asked, her voice growing shaky again.

            "Why should I tell you?" the woman said, getting up and turning her back on Ella, walking towards the door with the grace of a dancer.

            Ella frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing intently on the woman. That back… that body… that stature… that _hair_…

            Suddenly Ella knew where she had seen her…

A/N: Hey!! Yeah… a big cliffie!! Oh well…. I made it so that you… yes, _you_, the readers (or fans or whatever you want to call yourselves… ;) maybe like… _freaders_…. As in fan-readers…. Ok… sorry…. - I've had WAY too much Dr. Pepper this morning….) can figure out who this rather scary woman is. You just have to be creative and look in the book…. -  But yeah. So a couple thoughts from me actually…. One is that I didn't know the color of Ella's eyes, so I went by the cover of the book (even though it is wrong by the way…. Her hair is supposed to be black, _not_ brown… ) and made them blue. Yes, lazy me… didn't want to have to read the entire book last night and then write the chapter… Because well…. I wanted to listen to the radio too and finish my drawing…. Lol…..  But yeah… and this woman… is really about the same age as Ella, and I'm sorry for calling her "the woman" or "the golden haired woman" but I didn't want to give her a name yet…. To add to the mystery of her identity…. All right… so I hope you guys have had a happy summer so far… Mine's not been all that well… but meh… I guess I'll just have to deal with it…. -

Cheers!

Tati Bloom aka Elf Girl 4

PS: I realized that chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5 are like…. The SAME. I'm sorry…. I'll be deleting chapter 4 soon unless you guys think I should do otherwise…. Since the same thing happens in the next chapter. -

PPS: Any suggestions? Email me… check my bio!

PPS: Like what you read here? Want more? Go and check out my other stories and review for those too!!! -

AN AWESOME AND APPRECIATED THANKS TO: (Yes…. I'm going to do it from now on…. So if you don't like it… I'm sorry….. too bad. And I'm doing this in the order that I receive them… so don't feel bad if you're last or first… it's just how I do it… -)

Chriss- Thank you! And yeah, I hate cliffhangers too…. But somehow the way I write makes them come out in every chapter… lol… I hope you keep reading!

Chaucer- I like the name…. Reminds me of Paul Bettany from "A Knight's Tale"… (He played Chaucer in the movie… -) Thanks! I'm glad you liked it… hope you liked this chapter too!

jelie36- Thank you very much…. And yes, if you go and skim the book, you've seen her a couple of times…. But yeah…. Keep reading…. And review again to tell me who ya think it is! -

stargirl- Kay! Well, here's the next chapter… hope you liked it, keep reading!

Legolas-Aragorn-r-hot- Mmm…. Love, love, love the name…. I totally agree… I'm writing a LOTR ficlet too, so I hope you go and check that out sometime when I get it posted! Thank you!!! I'm so happy you like it, and I really hope you liked this chapter too!

Pirate-Jazzy- Here ya go…. More. -  I'll be bringing some more later…. So keep reading…. Lol

Tempest Dragon- OH NO! Yet ANOTHER cliffhanger! Gahh…. It's turning into a very bad habit in my writing… lol…. Thanks much, I'll try and update as soon as I can!

Mage Light- Thank you very much! I'm glad that you think so!!! I really hope that you liked this chapter, keep reading and reviewing… Tell me how I'm doing!!


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